


As the Tides Change

by Rawwwrchel22



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, F/F, F/M, Gen, Multi, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:53:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22441378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rawwwrchel22/pseuds/Rawwwrchel22
Summary: "Sometimes in the waves of change we find our true direction." Season One of Young Justice. OC Insert. Slowburn Romance.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Original Female Character(s), Wally West/Original Female Character(s), Zatanna Zatara/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	1. Ripples

**Young Justice is not mine.**

* * *

**Ripples**

_"_ _You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water."_

_-_ Rabindranath Tagore

* * *

**Gotham City**

"You are the hero Gotham deserves, NightFall."

A mischievous smirk stretched across her thin lips, blue eyes glistening in the moonlight as brown locks swayed in the breeze. The girl wasn't fazed by the comment as she turned to face the caped crusader, who wore a defeated expression as he stared out at what once was his city.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

"I was wondering when you were going to come to your senses, Batman." NightFall brushed the hero off and stepped around him to crouch down on a ledge, eyes flickering over the quiet city below.

Behind her, Batman grumbled quietly to himself. It was hard for a man of his nature to admit this fourteen year old hero was a superior hero to himself, and it took his young protégé's input to help him realize it.

Yes, Robin had agreed shortly after meeting NightFall that she was the one that was going to make Gotham a better place. In fact, he had relinquished his role as Robin to the girl, handing over his cape and utility belt in the process. And now the young hero sported the gifted cape and utility belt proudly alongside her own hero garb.

"I relinquish my-"

_"_ _Kayanna."_

NightFall blinked as she turned to face the Dark Knight, who looked as equally confused as her. With a shake of her head, she urged, "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"I was saying that, I relinq-"

_"_ _Kayanna!"_

There it was again!

NightFall spun around in a circle and shouted to the sky, "Okay, who's there?" The world around her began to shift and crumble, Gotham fading into the distance as Batman dissolved right before her eyes and the girl felt anxiety bubble up from within herself.

_"_ _Kayanna, wake up this instance!"_

_Wake up? I am awake! Batman's giving me his city-_

"Kayanna!

And the next thing the girl knew, she was soaking wet.

She shot up with a cry of shock, blue eyes wide, as she spluttered, "B-Batman, I accept your city!"

Koda quirked an unamused brow as he let out a deep sigh, watching as his daughter slowly put two and two together as to _where_ she was and _why_ she was suddenly drenched with water. Kayanna rubbed at her eyes, shaking off some of the water in the process before her lips quirked up in sheepish smile as she faced her father, who looked less than please.

"H-hi dad…"

"What do you think you're doing?"

Yeah, he was _definitely_ annoyed. The vein in his forehead was most _definitely_ throbbing!

Kayanna stood up from the bench, stretching slightly and doing her best to avoid her father's annoyed gaze, "Resting my eyes?"

"We were on a quick _break_ , Kayanna, not nap time."

Always the serious one he was…

Slightly irked, the young girl rolled her eyes before using her powers to remove the water from her body and drying herself off in the process. And she may have been less than cautious about where the water ended up as she watched, from the corner of her eye, her father hold out a hand to block the water from hitting himself.

"Sorry, Mr. _Marine_ , some of us aren't used to getting only _four_ hours of sleep at night. I mean, who trains at _five_ in the morning!" She threw her hands up and gestured at the clock that hung across the room on a wall.

It read 5:42. They had only been training for twelve minutes.

"People who take being a superhero seriously."

Kayanna pouted as she turned back towards Koda, a frown on her face, "I'll have you know, I take superhero-ing _very_ seriously!"

"Kayanna, this isn't a joke." He stepped towards his daughter, expression softening slightly as a disheartened expression settled on her face. It was hard for him to _not_ be harsh and maybe _slightly_ overbearing, but this was his only daughter- and he knew firsthand how dangerous crime fighting- and just battle in general- could be.

If Kayanna couldn't realize that, then he _really_ didn't want her out in the field.

With a huff, the girl flopped back onto the bench as she began to fiddle with the ends of her hair. She focused her gaze on the floor, staring intently at the cement and tracing the small cracks with her eyes, "I know it's not."

"Well, you could've fooled me." Koda surmised as he sat down beside his daughter, who looked up at him with annoyed eyes. It didn't take a mind reader to know that he was gearing up for another one of his 'overprotective daddy' speeches- which Kayanna got about _once_ a week, if not more! His favorite thing to do was to remind her that she was 'daddy's little girl'.

It drove Kayanna nuts, even if he did mean well.

"I just want to keep you safe, okay? That's why I stress training so much. Bad guys won't take it easy on you like I will, and I don't know what I'd do if you got hurt in the field. This is serious work, Kayanna, and I need to know that you're serious about it."

"But I _am_ serious about it!" Kayanna urged, angling her body towards her father, "I've been training my ass-"

"Language."

" _-butt_ off extra hard for the past three months! And for what? You let me do _nothing_ on patrols!"

(Technically Koda had been training Kayanna ever since her powers had shown up when she was _nine_ , but she had only been training like a _superhero_ for the past three months.)

"You helped me with that bank robbery last night." Koda reminded the girl with a soft grin.

"You made me stay with the hostages while you kicked the bad guy's _butts_." She corrected him in a deadpan voice, face less than amused.

Koda held his hands up in mock surrender, shaking his head, "You were _protecting_ those hostages, were you not?"

With a huff, Kayanna crossed her arms and diverted her gaze to the floor once more, "You still don't let me do anything."

"You've only been in the field for _three_ months, Kayanna. These things take time." The young brunette opened her mouth once more, preparing to argue further, but her father cut her off, wanting to cut the argument short before it could further escalate.

After all, Kayanna had to get her stubbornness from somewhere.

"We'll pick training back up at nine." Koda stood up from the bench and grabbed his water bottle before tossing his towel over his shoulder. At the sight of Kayanna's confused- and dumbfounded- expression, he added, "Consider it a special treat for the fourth of the July."

* * *

_Smack!_

Kayanna groaned as she landed roughly on the ground for the umpteenth time that morning, the water that was once in her control splashing lifelessly to the floor. She squeezed her eyes shut as she ignored the footsteps approaching her limp form, mind too focused on the throbbing pain that was flaring up her side.

For such a flowy element, water sure could _hurt_.

"Again."

"Is that like an order o-"

" _Now_."

The young waterbender made a noise of annoyance before her eyes cracked open, blue meeting blue as her father stared down at her. She rolled her eyes and picked her body up, accepting the hand Koda offered her with slight hesitation.

Kayanna found the room to be spinning ever so slightly as she stood on two feet.

"Your form was sloppy and movements slow." Koda crossed his arms and eyed his daughter, who had pulled up the water from the ground, "If you were up against a bad guy, you would've been killed in a heartbeat."

"Oh, _that's_ reassuring."

"Kayanna-"

Said girl threw her arms up, the water in her control flying outwards and to the sides, where it embedded itself as icicles in the walls as her chest heaved, "I know! _No_ jokes!"

Koda eyed the icicles embedded in the wall with mild disinterest before turning back towards his daughter. This wasn't the first time she's had an outburst like that during training. Heck, the holes in the walls were evidence of that enough, "You need to get your emotions in check."

With a wave of his hand, Kayanna watched as the icicles melted and the freshly liquidized water flowed towards her father. It curled up into a large water ball, Koda allowing it to float above his open palm.

Kayanna kept her eyes glued on the floating ball, the gentle movements helping to soothe her racing heart. She chewed her lip, the motion the only thing keeping her from biting back at her father. The energy slowly left her body and a feeling of lethargy settled upon her.

They had been back at training for a few hours, and though she had given it her all at the start, she could feel her strength slipping away. Her muscles ached and she was soaked from head to foot in a mixture of sweat and regular water. It was an unpleasant feeling, but one she was all but used to thanks to the training regime her father had set up for her.

Koda noticed the distant look in his daughter's eyes, recognizing it all too well as fatigue. Running a hand through his dripping hair, the older waterbender shook his head and dropped his hand, the water he was once holding up splashing to the ground.

Kayanna blinked at the sudden disappearance of the item of her focus, moving her attention to her father. He crossed his arms over his chest and she slumped her shoulders, "I'm sorry." Her voice was quiet, and Koda brushed her off with a half-smile.

"Don't be, Kayanna. You're improving greatly. You should be proud of yourself."

The young girl perked up slightly, a small smile settling on her lips, "Really?"

"Of course."

And it was true. Though he may be hard on his daughter, the improvement was definitely there, even if her form and mobility had been slipping during the last half an hour of training. She was still doing her best to put her best foot forward, and she deserved praise for her effort.

The little moment was interrupted, however, when the computer in the back corner of the room illuminated, a soft beeping echoing in the basement. Koda's demeanor immediately changed as he made his way towards the tech, Kayanna hesitantly trailing behind him.

_"_ _Incoming message."_

The computer droned, and the older waterbender pressed a button to accept the incoming message.

Almost immediately Batman appeared on the screen, and Kayanna's face immediately flushed, the image of the Dark Knight brining back memories of her earlier daydream.

_"_ _NightTide."_

"Batman."

The two greeted each other stoically, neither one showing much emotion. Kayanna always found their interactions weird, it was different than her father's interactions with other Justice League members, like Wonder Woman or Shadow Hunter. With them he was more friendly and open, but with Batman he was so… _stoic_.

It could be unnerving sometimes.

_"_ _Fifteen minutes ago Mister Freeze launched an attack on Gotham Park. Robin and I were able to apprehend Mister Freeze with relative ease, however, during his attack, multiple civilians were left frozen in large blocks of ice. We need your assistance to get them out safely."_

"Damage control," Koda nodded, voice slipping into hero mode, "I'll be there ASAP."

_"_ _Good,"_ The Dark Knight nodded, _"Batman out."_

Batman's face disappeared from the screen and the computer clicked off. Koda turned around, nearly bumping into his daughter who had gotten as close as possible to hear everything. She did her best to act nonchalant, turning and stepping away as she fiddled with the ends of her ponytail.

"So, uh," She did her best to feign ignorance, trying to remain calm, "What did Batman want?"

Koda shook his head with a small smile, walking around the young brunette as he made his way towards the opposite side of the basement, "Like you didn't just hear everything." He pressed his hand up against a spot on the wall, where a small scanner appeared to scan his hand.

_"_ _Recognized: NightTide."_

A disembodied voice called out. The scanner shrank back into the wall, and soon the wall split and melted away to reveal his- and Kayanna's- super suits.

Koda sat down in the nearest chair and reached down, unhooking his lower left leg and setting the prosthetic leg to the side. Kayana glanced away as her father attached the specially designed prosthetic leg Batman made him a few years ago, not liking the reminder of how much better her father was than herself- _even_ with only one and a half legs.

As her father disappeared to finish changing into his NightTide garb, Kayanna took it upon herself to start on one of her after-training chores: picking up the water from their training.

It wasn't a hard chore, and it did help her practice her waterbending on a smaller scale, but it was so tedious because the water was literally _everywhere_. They had large metal vats that sat alongside one of the basement's walls that were filled with the water they used to train with, and it was her job to put _all_ the water back.

Every last drop.

* * *

"Can I come with?"

Her voice was quiet and she focused her gaze on her hand, picking at a hangnail on the side of her thumb. Koda paused for a second to glance over at the young waterbender before he resumed what he was doing; pulling on his gloves.

"I don't think so, Kayanna, it could be dangerous."

_Wow, what a shocking answer._

Kayanna groaned and dropped her arms, Koda quirking his brow as he slipped his mask onto his face, "Oh, _come on_ , dad! It's _just_ damage, control right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"But Batman and Robin took care of Mister Freeze already! So what's the danger?"

Koda looked unconvinced as he shook his head. He walked towards the vats of water and with a wave of his hand, he filled the water pouches clasped to his side. He turned back towards his daughter, who had seemingly inched closer to the cabinet containing her super suit whilst waiting rather impatiently, "Its Gotham, Kayanna, there's always danger."

"We live in Gotham."

"That is beside the point."

Kayanna groaned and threw her hands up. If you ever wanted to know where her stubbornness came from, look no further. Koda Sanders was the epitome of stubbornness- and his daughter was a chip off the old block.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, after all.

"All we're doing is de-thawing civilians, dad!" The young brunette started once more, not willing to give up _just_ yet, "It'll go faster if I help!" Koda opened his mouth to protest, already shaking his head and Kayanna continued before he could say more, "My ice-bending could use some work!"

That was usually the key to getting her father to let her go on- what could be- exciting adventures: turn it into a teachable moment.

The older waterbender's mouth closed as he raised a gloved hand up to run through his slightly disheveled hair. Kayanna could almost see the gears turning in his head as her father weighed the pros and cons, working on coming to a final decision. The brunette crossed her fingers behind her back, silently pleading to her father with her eyes.

_Please let me go. Please let me go. Please let me go._

"Fine," Koda let out a dejected sigh with a shake of his head, and Kayanna jumped into the air with a happy squeal, "But-" She paused in her celebration, fist still in the air in a victory fist pump. There was _always_ a but. "You listen to _everything_ I say, understood?"

The girl composed herself, hand shooting up in a mock salute- earning herself a small eye roll from her father- as she beamed, "Aye aye, sir!"

"Kayanna."

She groaned before taking on a more serious demeanor to appease her father, moving her arms and crossing them behind her back, "Yes, dad, I understand."

"Good." He nodded, a soft smile appearing on his face as excitement bubbled up within his daughter, "Now suit up."

Kayanna cheered once more before snagging her super suit from the cabinet it was locked away in, disappearing into their make-shift changing rooms, all the while whistling away. As she disappeared to change, Koda couldn't help but get an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

And that was never usually a good sign.

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

* * *

Gotham Park was located smack dab in the center of Gotham City, sporting many barbeque pits and places for various sports. In the middle of the park was a small pond with a fountain in the center.

Under normal circumstances, the park was one of NightFall's favorite places to go to. Though in the center of the bustling city, it was relatively quiet and a good place to disappear to to complete some homework- or to avoid her father.

You know, whichever the more pressing matter was at the given moment.

Upon entering the park, however, it was obviously not the same serene location it once was.

Patches of ice and ice spikes were strewn about the park, some of the larger ice spikes containing civilians, each sporting shocked and scared expressions.

NightTide and NightFall had to weave their way through the crowds that were gathered at the entrance of Gotham Park, a mixture of civilians and press having flocked to scene of the attack in hopes of catching a glimpse- and maybe an interview- with the Dynamic Duo. Luckily for the two waterbenders, the police were already pushing back the civilians and press, making space for the two to pass through.

And as per usual, NightTide ignored every single person that called out his name, a stoic expression on his face as he pushed forward.

NightFall, on the other hand, couldn't help but smile shyly at those who looked her way. Though still a relatively new hero, thanks to her father's status as a Leaguer and a well-known hero, people were starting to learn her name and recognize her.

Though there were people that called her Riptide from time to time… and that made her kind of want to scream.

"NightFall," Said girl glanced up, masked eyes catching her father's gaze, "Make sure you keep up.

Her face flushed slightly at the public reprimand before she nodded and picked up her pace, falling in step with the older waterbender as they made their way across the park.

NightFall glanced around at the damage, eyeing the piles of snow and ice spikes as they treaded further towards the middle of the park. It seemed as if the further they went, the more damage and destruction- and frozen civilians- there were.

They traversed the hill and the younger waterbender felt her breath hitch in her throat as her gaze settled on Batman and Robin, who were currently in the middle of a deep discussion with Commissioner Gordon. NightFall's heartbeat picked up, a giddy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach at the mere thought that she was _seconds_ away from meeting Batman and Robin.

She honestly thought they were going to be gone by the time they arrived on scene.

As if sensing their eyes on him, Batman turned his head, gaze landing on first NightTide, and then NightFall at his side. Robin, noticing his mentor's attention, followed the older hero's gaze, a smile spreading across his face as he watched the two waterbenders approach.

"NightTide," Batman nodded, greeting the older hero by extending his hand.

It was accepted, the waterbender nodding in response, "Batman."

"NightFall."

The younger waterbender's eyes instantly widened upon finding the Dark Knight's attention on her, face flushing ever so slightly and heart rate picking up.

_Batman knew who she was!_

Oh man, she felt as if her heart was going to burst forth from her chest!

"B-Batman." The girl responded, internally kicking herself as her voice cracked.

_Smooth, Kayanna, smooth._

A flicker of a smile graced Batman's lips, though that could have been a trick of the light or a figment of the girl's imagination, as the caped crusader turned back towards her father, "Mister Freeze was apprehended and is currently en route back to Arkham Asylum…"

Batman and NightTide delved into a deep discussion about the day's earlier events, the former revealing that Mister Freeze was _not_ the only ice villain to have launched an attack that day.

Aquaman and Aqualad faced Killer Frost in Pearl Harbor.

Flash and Kid Flash faced Captain Cold in Central City.

Shadow Hunter and Nightlight faced Minister Blizzard in San Francisco.

And Green Arrow and Speedy faced Icicle Junior in Star City.

Five ice villains attacked on the same day. Batman and NightTide both came to the same conclusion that it was wonky- though they used more technical terms.

NightFall tried her best to keep up with the rest of conversation, but they delved into some theories as to why the attack happened and they lost her, the girl ultimately zoning out. May not be the best thing when your dad finally takes you out on a semi-League based issue, but she was being ignored.

Well, mostly being ignored.

NightFall could feel eyes on her every now and then, but was choosing to ignore it as she attempted to _at least_ look like she was paying attention. Appearances were key, after all.

Upon what felt like the twentieth time, her patience wore out and the young waterbender tore her attention from the two Leaguer's, who were still deep in discussion, to face the person staring at her: Robin.

Batman may have offered her a gruff greeting when they walked up, but him and NightTide jumped into their discussion before an introduction to the Boy Wonder could be arranged.

Not that she really needed one, he was _the_ Boy Wonder after all.

"Name's Robin." The raven jutted his hand out as soon as her gaze landed on him, as if he had been waiting for her attention the _whole_ time.

The introduction was more of a formality than anything really. Of course she knew who he was, after all, Robin had kind of been one of her role models when it came to the sidekick side of the superhero spectrum.

This may have been the first time she was meeting him in person- and she may be _slightly_ fangirling inside (the boy was _hella_ cute)- but this was by no means her first learning of the _first_ sidekick. NightFall looked up to the boy, and was _maybe_ kind of jealous of him. A fully trained sidekick working alongside on of the world's _greatest_ heroes ever. That was what she wished for herself more than anything.

But NightTide had her on a short leash.

And up close and in personal with the Boy Wonder, NightFall found herself at a loss for words as she _subtly_ (okay, _obviously_ ) checked him out. Robin's dark hair was lightly tousled, giving him a boyish charm that suited him so well and she found herself wanting to run her hands through his hair. It was probably super soft. Despite being of a short stature and a few inches shorter than herself, it was obvious Batman's training was paying off: the boy was practically _ripped_ for- what the waterbender assumed to be- a thirteen year old.

Was it bad she wanted to feel his biceps?

_God, she sounded_ so _creepy!_ _What was wrong with her?!_

He also gave off an air of familiarity, as if she knew him from somewhere, but she didn't have time to ponder on that thought as a throat was cleared. NightFall blinked as her mind returned to reality and she realized she was practically _gawking_. Robin sported an amused smirk as he eyed the girl, and as her face grew redder, his smirk increased, much to the waterbender's horror.

In an attempt to save herself, NightFall's hand shot out and quickly clasped Robin's still extended one, shaking it a tad bit _too_ hard, "I'm N-NightFall." Her voice cracked again, and she immediately dropped her arm and gaze, choosing to stare at the grassy ground, "It's n-nice to m-meet you, Robin." Her voice tapered off at the end and Robin chuckled as the girl worked to fight off her burning face.

"Likewise."

It was a simple response, but NightFall was surprised to hear how genuine the raven sounded. Her nerves were stemmed slightly.

"So you two will handle it?"

NightFall shifted her gaze from the ground and to Batman, who was addressing her alongside her mentor.

NightTide nodded his affirmation, speaking for the two of them, "Of course, Batman, we'll take it from here."

"Good. Now if you'll excuse us," Batman turned towards his protégé, who was still sporting a smirk (it seemed kind of like an almost _knowing_ smirk?), "Robin and I have a prior engagement to attend to." She wanted to ask what this 'prior engagement' was, but held her tongue seeing as it wasn't her business.

With that, he spun on his heel, cape fanning out slightly as he began to walk away. Robin made a move to follow, but paused slightly before glancing back at NightFall, "It was nice meeting you, NightFall. Hopefully we'll be able to work together soon!"

NightFall smiled at the thought, but it was quickly quenched as her father spoke up, placing a firm hand on her shoulder as he stepped between the waterbender and Robin, "Don't count on it, Robin. She's still in training."

" _Dad_!" The younger waterbender replied sharply as she twisted out of his grasp, "Not cool."

Robin chuckled and shrugged as he shared a glance with NightTide, some unspoken words seemingly being passed between the two, leaving NightFall kind of confused, "Of course, sir. Good luck, you two."

And before another word could be uttered, Robin darted off after his mentor. NightFall followed his figure with her eyes as he grew smaller and smaller the farther he got. Only when he disappeared from view did she turn towards her father, who was staring at her expectantly.

"Are you done ogling Robin now?"

And the blush was back.

"W-what are you t-talking about? I-I wasn't ogling!" NightFall rushed to defend herself, words slurring slightly as she stammered them out.

NightTide shook his head and propped his hands on his hips, choosing to drop the subject and get back on task instead of teasing the younger waterbending some more.

Business first. He could tease his daughter later when the uniforms were off.

"Let's get moving."

* * *

You know that feeling when your muscles felt like lead and your whole body just felt _dead_?

Yeah, that was how NightFall felt right now.

Though initially damage control seemed like it would be pretty easy, it turned out to be the exact _opposite_ of easy. Her father had taken her idea that this would be used as a training exercise to a _whole new level_. To show her how things were done, NightTide unthawed the first civilian, who the paramedics immediately rushed to the aide of before carting them off to an ambulance to be checked over for signs of hypothermia.

And then that was where NightTide's job ended.

NightFall suddenly found herself _face to face_ with dozens of frozen people, and it was her job to unthaw them- NightTide was just along for the ride at this point.

"Straighten your back," Her father barked, standing a good few feet back alongside some more paramedics and a stretcher, "you're slouching."

The younger waterbender groaned as she attempted to straighten her back, the muscles protested every movement. There were only a few civilians left to unthaw, and NightFall should've been happy about that, but at the rate things were going, she felt as though her back was going to snap and her arms were going to fall off.

_Everting was in pain._

She stretched her arms out, doing her best to ignore the aching within them. They shook in the air slightly and she splayed her fingers, eyes honing in on the captive civilian before her. NightFall sucked in a deep breath, shutting her eyes for a moment in a final bout of concentration before opening them.

The brunette slowly and gently lowered her arms before pulling them back to her side, her mind focusing on the water melting and becoming liquid once more. There was a slight hesitation of the water reacting to her commands, but it was short-lived as the water suddenly liquefied and fell to the earth below, the paramedics rushing in to grab the civilian before she fell too.

NightTide stepped forward and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. She looked up at him, panting slightly as sweat dripped down her forehead, "Very good, NightFall." He nodded his head before gently steering her towards another civilian, "Only a few more left."

Though it was a brief compliment, it was still one nonetheless, and NightFall found herself smiling despite the pain. Koda tried to intersperse compliments in his training to keep his daughter's spirits up, but a compliment from NightTide in the field was most _definitely_ rare.

* * *

_Why was the sun so bright?_

NightFall stared up at the sky, eyes squinting slightly as she basked in the sunlight. All civilians had been freed from their icy prisons, so while NightTide was wrapping up any potential loose ends, she took a mini break. Though her father probably wouldn't approve of her break consisting of her lying on the grass, blinding herself with the sun.

After all, he would consider her position to be leaving herself vulnerable- and slightly unprofessional- but hey, she was tired and the grass was comfy. So sue her.

What was the worst that was going to happen?

Was a random perp going to sneak up on her?

In the middle of Gotham Park?

In broad daylight?

Where many police officers were still hanging around?

_Fat chance._

NightFall cracked a small grin at her dumb thoughts, eyes slipping shut completely as she awaited her father to come fetch her. It was only a matter of time before things were completely wrapped up and she could go home and talk to her mother about things.

And when she said talk to her mother, she meant _complain_ to her mother.

It was really unfair how NightTide could so effortlessly turn something that should be exciting into something that was oh so painful, and her mother was always happy to lend a listening ear whenever such an event occurred.

She honestly adored her mother.

Don't get her wrong, she usually adored her father too, but right now he was _just_ above the 'I hate you' level on her care-o-meter.

He could easily win her over with some ice cream on their way home though. Not that that would happen- too _unprofessional_ as he would say.

A shadow loomed over her, blocking the sun and darkening her already darkened vision. She cracked her eyes open, peering up at her father who was staring down at her, arms crossed and eyebrow quirked expectantly.

"I was just-"

"Resting your eyes?"

NightFall nodded and sat up before picking herself up off the ground- albeit _slowly_ and _painfully_ \- and turned towards NightTide, "Now you're getting it!"

The older hero chuckled and shook his head, "Come on," He wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders, squeezing them gently, "Let's go home, our work here is done."

Together they made their way towards the park exit, their speed a tad bit slower than normal. A silence had settled over the duo, and for once NightFall found the silence to be comfortable. Under other circumstances, silences in the field with her father were either tense, or awkward because he was annoyed with her for whatever reason.

But this one, this one was nice.

"You did good work, NightFall." NightTide glanced down at his daughter, a soft smile on his face.

_Wow,_ two _compliments from NighTide in_ one _day?_

NightFall cocked her head to glance up at him, her own smile mirroring his, "Thanks, dad." She paused for a second, chewing her lower lip as she thought over her next words carefully. She didn't like pestering her dad, but she just had to know, "Does this mean you'll give me more responsibilities in the field?"

The older waterbender shifted his gaze from his daughter to the sky, inhaling a deep breath before slowly exhaling it. He should've seen that one coming, "Maybe, but we can talk-" NightTide trailed off suddenly, body tensing as he stopped walking. NightFall quirked a brow as she opened her mouth to say something, but her father held up a hand signaling her to keep quiet before he pressed a finger to his ear, "NightTide here."

A series of nods and affirmation noises was all NightFall got from the conversation over the course of the next few minutes. She had already deduced it was League related- after all, what else would it be?- but she had yet to learn exactly _what_ League related thing it was.

So that was still a mystery.

NightTide slipped a small device from his utility belt, and the young brunette recognized it as his GPS. He tapped a few buttons before a _ping_ sounded from the small device and a mini holographic map appeared, a red dot marking a random location.

"Got it," NightTide nodded once more, though NightFall wasn't exactly sure as to who he was nodding to, "I need to take care of NightFall and then I will be right there. NightTide out."

That got her attention.

"Take care of me?" The girl stared up at her father, arms crossed, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means…" NightTide started, brown eyes filled with concern and uncertainty as he thought hard about something. He shook his head and raked a gloved hand through his messy brown locks, a soft sigh leaving his lips, "I'm taking you to the Hall of Justice."

She blinked, "Uh, why?"

"You recall the sorcerer Wotan, correct?"

"You've mentioned him once or twice."

NightTide nodded before he began walking, the younger waterbender quick to follow on his heels, "Zatara requested League back-up because Wotan is attempting to use the Amulet of Aten to blot out the sun."

"That's not good."

"No, no it's not."

The conversation seemingly ended there, NightTide not having more information to share with his daughter as they exited the park. She stayed quiet for a second, but something was nagging at her.

"So, why am I going to the Hall of Justice then?"

Reporters began to yell at the two heroes, shouting out random questions in hopes they would be answered. NightFall flinched back slightly, moving closer to her father as microphones were shoved in her face, cameras flashing as they walked by. NightTide remained stoic throughout the whole thing, voice quiet and gaze set straight forward.

Only when they managed to escape the sea of reporters did the older waterbender speak up once more.

"I don't have time to take you home and then rendezvous with the League, so you get to hang out at the Hall of Justice for the time being."

NightFall audibly groaned, not bothering to hide her annoyance and her father picked up his pace, "You know I'm perfectly capable of getting myself home safely."

"Home is across town, NightFall, and you can't take the motorcycle by yourself."

"I could if you taught me how to drive it." She grumbled under her breath, following her father into an alley. He glanced back at her, a frown on his face.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

NightTide shook his head before walking further into an alley. He approached an old, decrepit phone booth and pulled back the door. Upon NightFall's confused look, he began to explain that inside the seemingly useless phone booth was what the League called a ' _zeta-tube_ '.

Not that it looked very tube-y.

And she had no idea what a zeta was.

Her father continued on describing it, informing the girl that it was a teleporter device utilized by the League for fast and easy travel across the country- and to some parts of the world. It was the League's main means of transportation, allowing them to quickly and effortlessly get to their missions in a timely fashion.

Which cleared up _a lot_ of unanswered questions for NightFall.

She often wondered how her father could travel from Gotham City, New Jersey to Star City, California in like five minutes flat.

However, it took a bit of convincing on her father's part that the nasty old phone booth he was standing in front of was state of the art League tech. To NightFall, it looked like trash and not like something she _ever_ wanted to get into.

"Look, when the computer tells you to, just _enter_ the phone booth and you'll be teleported to the Hall of Justice, where I will be waiting for you."

NightFall still looked skeptical, "Seems sketch."

"I don't have time for this, NightFall." NightTide's patience was wearing thin and it was beginning to show in the tone of his voice, "Just do what the computer says and all will be fine."

She was still _definitely_ unconvinced, but she knew her father was growing impatience so she nodded her head and watched as he climbed into the phone booth. He gave her what was supposed to be reassuring smile before closing the door, but it didn't help _at all_.

A part of her expected her father to jump out of the phone booth and yell "just kidding!" or something- but she knew that was implausible.

A bright light suddenly emitted from the phone booth causing NightFall's eyes to widen. A feminine computerized voice droned out some words, but the girl was too surprised to catch them. The door unexpectedly slid open and the waterbender jumped back at the sudden motion.

She cautiously stepped towards the open phone booth, taking in the fact that her father was no longer inside the machine- which must mean it was working.

_"_ _You may now enter."_

NightFall jumped back once more, heart suddenly leaping up into her throat at the unexpected voice. It same voice that spoke when her father disappeared, and the same voice their computer at home spoke with.

It must be a League thing.

_"_ _You may now enter."_

The voice droned again. NightFall sucked in a deep breath before stepping forward. She first poked her head into the phone booth, glancing around the interior of it. There wasn't anything unusual about it, in fact, if a normal civilian were to step up to it, they would think it was just an old, decrepit phone booth and not some high-tech League machine.

Which made it all the sketchier to NightFall.

Only when the voice called out to her a third time did she step fully into the machine, carefully closing the door behind herself. A bright light began to glow from the center of the machine, and she soon found herself surrounded by it.

_Here goes nothing…_


	2. Independence Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five teenage "sidekicks" decide to investigate a fire at a genetics laboratory... and discover a plot to create a clone of Superman.

**Young Justice is not mine.**

* * *

**Independence Day**

_"_ _Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects."_

_-_ Dalai Lama

* * *

**HALL OF JUSTICE**

"When we're _ready_?" Kid Flash exclaimed, outraged as he kicked at the floor. The Justice Leaguer's- consisting of their _trusted_ mentors- had just left the room, off to some grand 'ol Justice League adventure, on they weren't allowed on, "How are we supposed to _ever_ be ready if they treat us like, like…" He searched for the word.

"Sidekicks?" Robin grumbled, arms crossed.

"Exactly!"

Aqualad looked at his friends before casting his eyes towards the ground, dejected, "My mentor... my King... I thought he trusted me."

 _"_ _Trust?!_ " Kid Flash retorted, emerald eyes ablaze as he flailed his arms, "They don't even trust us with the _basics_! They've got an orbiting secret HQ in _space_!"

Nightlight, the lone female member of the small group, shook her head as she wrapped her cape around herself, "This is the Justice League we're talking about, I'm sure they have their reasons."

And she meant that. She trusted her father, Shadow Hunter, more than anything. He would know best, and as much as she would _love_ for more responsibilities, she- and the others- were still young.

They still had plenty of time to join the Justice League.

Kid Flash scoffed and ran a hand through his red hair before green eyes met pink, "You _would_ defend the League."

The caped girl's eyes narrowed, "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Before Kid Flash had a chance to retaliate, Aqualad stepped in, placing a hand on the annoyed speedster's shoulder, silencing him with a simple look, "Nightlight has a valid point, Kid, this is the Justice League we are referring to. Besides, bickering amongst ourselves will not help our situation."

Kid Flash opened his mouth to respond, but faltered for a moment. He knew Aqualad was right, but his feelings were still a tad bit hurt, so his emotions were running kind of amuck, but he didn't mean to take things out on Nightlight. With a soft frown, he glanced back at the girl, "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," The pink-eyed girl responded with a shrug, "but it does beg the question, how many more secrets are they keeping from us?"

"I've got a better question," Robin spoke up, brows furrowed as his friends glanced at him, "Why didn't we leave with Speedy?"

A heavy silence hung in the air at the Boy Wonder's question, four sets of eyes casting their gaze down to the floor. They were stuck, and unsure of how to move forward, spirits crestfallen at the rejection from the League.

What could they do?

Aqualad was the first to break the silence, a curious look in his eyes, "What is…" The young Atlantean paused, thinking over his next works, "Project Cadmus?"

And just like that, the fire was ignited once more.

"Don't know…" Robin started, voice filled with a mischievous air as his lips quirked upwards into a devious smirk, "but I can find out."

The Boy Wonder stepped towards the large computer, fully intent on putting his hacking skills to use. Just before his fingers could touch the key pad, however, the zeta tube burst to life, the computer's robotic voice echoing in the air.

_"_ _Recognized: NightTide: Zero-Four."_

Four sets of eyes snapped towards the zeta tube, watching as the doors slid open and the bright light dimmed, revealing the Justice Leaguer. Robin immediately shot back from the computer as NightTide stepped out of the contraption, doing his best to act like he _wasn't_ just about to hack into the computer as the waterbender turned his way.

"N-NightTide?" Kid Flash spluttered, surprise evident in his voice.

NightTide barely acknowledged the four young heroes' presence- their only true acknowledgement being a curt nod from him- as he walked towards the large computer before beginning to type. The Boy Wonder attempted to casually look over the man's shoulder to see what he was doing, but had to jump back quickly as NightTide finished typing.

_"_ _Access Granted: NightFall: A-Zero-One. Authorization: NightTide: Zero-Four."_

Once more all eyes turned towards the zeta tube as it lit up, revealing a very confused- and slightly concerned- NightFall as the light dimmed. Her head went left, and then right, blue eyes scanning for any missing parts before she stepped forward cautiously, testing the weight on her left foot before deciding it was fine, and she could walk.

The waterbender exited the zeta tube before cocking her head back as the large door blocking the zeta slid shut with a hiss. She frowned before turning her gaze forward, only realizing then that all eyes were on her.

"Uh, hi?" She hesitantly waved.

Robin was the only one that waved back, more enthusiastically than NightFall really expected. The others just gave her blank looks before turning towards her father, the Leaguer not having spoken a word since his arrival.

"I'm sure the League has already informed you of the situation at hand." NightTide cut right to the chase, cutting Kid Flash off before he could even speak.

"We were told to stay put until the League returned from their mission." Nightlight spoke up, pink eyes glowing underneath her hood. She ignored the look a certain speedster flashed her.

"Good," The older waterbender nodded, "NightFall will be joining you four."

"I just wanted to go-"

NightFall was cut off as Kid Flash spoke up, "Today was supposed to be _the_ day!" He extended his hands out, flailing them slightly and causing Nightlight to step away to avoid being hit in the face. She glared at him from the corner of his eye, but the speedster went on, "We're _ready_ to work alongside you guys!"

"Obviously _not_ if you have to question direct orders _from_ the League." NightTide responded smoothly, narrowed brown eyes focused on the ginger.

Emerald eyes widened, and a slightly embarrassed expression settled on Kid Flash's face before he turned his gaze towards the floor. NightFall blinked, feeling slightly bad for the speedster. NightTide wasn't known for sugar coating his words.

Robin stifled a laugh behind his hand, turning it into a quick cough as he caught NightFall's confused look. There was just something about his best friend being _embarrassed_ that made him amused. Nightlight flashed the Boy Wonder a glare before shaking her head. She was used to his immature antics.

Aqualad took a deep breath and placed a hand on Kid Flash's shoulder before speaking to the Leaguer, "Then you should be on your way. We will stay put."

"Thank you, Aqualad." NightTide nodded at the Atlantean, "Your patience will be rewarded, I promise."

The waterbender nodded his head in goodbye at the four before turning towards his daughter, who was silently watching the whole ordeal from beside the zeta. She glanced up at him when he stepped in front of her.

" _Najuk, NightFall, pigasuak utik."_ **(Stay put, NightFall, I will return.)**

" _Ii, atâtak."_ **(Yes, father.)**

" _Tavvauvutit._ " **(Goodbye.)**

NightTide nodded, content before placing a hand on NightFall's shoulder, squeezing slightly before stepping into the zeta. A shoulder squeeze didn't seem like much, but it was the only affection for a goodbye she'd get when he was in uniform. Forehead kisses and hugs were a Koda Sanders thing only- _not_ NightTide.

And then, in the blink of the eye, he was flashed away, leaving the four sidekicks- and their newest addition- alone once more.

* * *

"Are we babysitting you?"

The question came from nowhere, breaking the heavy silence and NightFall's head shot up. She turned towards the source of the voice, confusion and annoyance evident on her face as Kid Flash held his hands up in mock surrender.

 _Why would_ they _be babysitting_ her _?_

"No offense, babe, _oof-"_ Nightlight suddenly elbowed the speedster's side, which earned her an irked look from him, "Hey!"

The caped girl just shrugged her arms before crossing them, ignoring Kid Flash as he rubbed his- now aching- side tenderly. She tried to keep herself looking indignant as she settled her pink gaze on NightFall, "I think what Kid Flash meant is, why did NightTide bring you to the Hall of Justice if he was just going to ditch you?"

NightFall felt her face heat up, and she wanted to protest what the other girl had said to let her know that _no_ , her father _did not_ ditch her, but she knew it was pointless. Maybe ditching wasn't exactly the right word for how she ended up where she was, but it was pretty much true.

NightTide had ditched her to go on a League mission.

Hey, she'd do the same in his position, honestly.

Though after learning the other sidekicks were here because they thought they were joining the Justice League- who ditched them as well for League business- it made NightFall's reasoning for being here just a _tad bit_ pitiful. Her dad may have been concerned for her well-being, which as a father was a fair excuse, but she still felt it would reflect on her negatively if she told them he wouldn't let her _simply_ walk home.

It seemed kind of lame, right?

"We were in the neighborhood so we decided to stop by?" NightFall attempted to lie, though lying was never her forte.

She had a _very_ obvious tell: she'd always chew her lower lip whenever she lied.

Just like she was doing now!

Nightlight didn't exactly look convinced, and neither did Kid Flash for that matter, but before either of them could call her out on her bullshit, Robin called for their attention.

As the two other heroes turned towards the Boy Wonder, NightFall released the breath she didn't realize she had been holding, glad to have the attention off herself.

"Woah," Kid Flash breathed out, and NightFall focused her attention on the computer screen Robin was positioned in front of. Where the screen had once been off and black, it was now illuminated brightly, displaying an image of a white building, with multiple firefighters attempting to defeat the fire that was burning in the upper floors, "How'd you do that?"

"Same system as the Batcave," Robin replied smoothly with a smirk, as if it was the most _obvious_ answer out there. The screen changed slightly as the raven's fingers clacked on the keyboard, more images and files of the same building popping up.

NightFall was confused as she eyeballed the screen, not entirely sure what Robin was doing- or what all the files and images were supposed to mean. She may have gotten the intel from the four sidekicks about their denial to join the League, and that they League had ditched them too, but that was it.

"What are we looking at?" She hesitantly spoke up as the others stared at the info, "And why's it on fire?"

"This," Robin glanced back at the girl and gestured to the screen, "is Project Cadmus. As for the fire part, the League was going to check it out until Zatara called in about Wotan."

NightFall just nodded, gaze shifting from the Boy Wonder back to the info on the screen. It still didn't clarify much for her, but she was slowly getting used to being kept out of the loop when it came to things like this.

After all, her father failed to mention the _other_ sidekicks had been invited to join the League today.

Kinda stung a bit to find out she hadn't been invited- not that she was necessarily ready to join them of course, but was it so hard for them to extend her an invite as well?

He carried on his explanation, letting out a slightly annoyed groan when he realized how _little_ information there was on the building, "It says it's a genetics lab here in D.C… and that's it."

 _Well, there was_ some _info to clarify things…_

"That's not very helpful." Nightlight frowned as she crossed her arms.

Robin shrugged, a coy smirk spreading across his face as an idea popped in his head, "Which means, since Batman was suspicious, maybe we should investigate?"

"Solve their case before they do," Aqualad looked thoughtful, and NightFall shifted her gaze between the two, "It would be poetic justice."

"Hey," Robin shrugged with a chuckle, "They're all about justice."

"I think you're forgetting an important fact here," Nightlight spoke up, not flinching as four pairs of eyes focused on her, "we were told to _stay put_."

NightFall felt excitement bubbling up in the pit of her stomach- despite Nightlight's valid point- as she began to realize what Robin was implying. Maybe they weren't going to be trapped in the Hall of Justice for who knows how long… maybe helping to solve things at this… Cadmus place would prove to the League- mainly her father- she was ready for more exciting missions!

"For the blotting out the sun mission, not this," Robin was quick to point out, flashing the pink eyed girl a devious smirk. Nightlight wasn't amused.

"Wait," Kid Flash piped up and zipped to his best friend's side, placing a hand on his shoulder, "are you going to Cadmus?" The speedster's excitement seemed to grow, emerald eyes shining, "Because if you're going, I'm going!"

The two turned, flashing bright grins towards Aqualad, who had yet to input his two cents on the matter. He looked thoughtful for a moment, a soft grin on his lips, "Just like that? We're a team on a mission?"

"We didn't come for a playdate."

Nightlight frowned and shook her head, hood shifting slightly at the movement, "Aqualad, not you too!" She had hoped if anyone was going to listen to the League and talk some sense into the other boys, it would've been the Atlantean, "The League isn't going to approve of us hacking their files and disobeying their direct orders. I thought the goal of today was to prove we were League material? Not prove that Speedy was right about us: we're _not_ ready."

Kid Flash tossed an easy arm around the worried girl's shoulder, replacing it once when Nightlight shrugged it off, but he wasn't fazed, "Come on, Light, this is the chance of a _lifetime_! Imagine the League's reaction- _Shadow Hunter's_ \- reaction come to find out _we_ solved their case for them!" The speedster smiled brightly down at Nightlight, who was a few inches shorter than himself, emerald eyes pleading with her, "We'll so prove to the League we deserve to be amongst them!"

They really were determined on going, weren't they?

Nightlight eventually sighed, reluctantly giving in, "Fine, but I'm _only_ going to make sure none of you guys get in trouble, _okay_?"

"Great," This time it was NightFall who spoke up, blue eyes filled with excitement as she rocked on her heels, "When do we leave?"

The more responsible part of her mind was telling her she should stay put, but she shoved that thought to the side as her mind focused on the _good_ potential outcomes of the Cadmus adventure. Hopefully it would let her dad see she _was_ a good hero! Plus adventure, right?

"Uh, _we_?"

NightFall blinked as the other four sidekicks stared at her, confusion evident on her face- as well as theirs. She wasn't sure what that comment was supposed to mean, so she kept her mouth shut as she waited for an explanation.

"It would be wise if you were to stay here, NightFall," Aqualad supplied, an apologetic look on his face as the waterbender's shoulders drooped.

"Yeah," Nightlight piped up, "You are pretty inexperienced. We just don't want to see you get hurt."

NightFall scowled as her face burned in embarrassment. A million and one things whirled through her mind to say in retaliation, so she just said the first thing her mind latched onto, "After the League _just_ treated you guys like _children_ , you're going to treat _me_ like one?" She crossed her arms over her chest, blue eyes narrowed in anger.

Kid Flash looked away from the angry girl, arm still around Nightlight's shoulder as she narrowed her pink eyes, and Aqualad rubbed the back of his neck as the girl spoke, "We have years of experience. It's not a matter of us treating you like a child, it's a matter of us ensuring your safety."

She had a valid point, but NightFall was underestimated enough by her father. She didn't need this from people _her_ age as well. Not to mention the fact that if she _did_ stay behind, what exactly was she going to tell the League when they inevitably returned?

_"Oh, where's the other's you ask? Yeah, they went on this grand 'ol adventure and left me behind because I have no experience!"_

That was a surefire way for her dad to see she _wasn't_ ready. Plus she'd probably _die_ from embarrassment at having to admit her limited experience in _front of the whole League_.

Robin interjected before either girl could say another word, "Hey, I think she'll be okay joining us. She has us to protect her after all!"

"I can protect myself."

"She has us for back-up after all!"

Nightlight didn't look convinced, but chose not to comment any further. As proved earlier, arguing was going to get them nowhere. Kid Flash grinned before he suddenly zipped over to NightFall's side, tossing an arm around her shoulder and pulling the surprised girl closer to his side.

"I've gladly got your back any day of the week, babe!"

_Was that a flirt?_

NightFall didn't know how to handle flirting.

Finding her voice suddenly gone, the waterbender clammed up as she just nodded. Goosebumps rose up on her arms, a bright red flush dusting her cheeks and she gaped as she tried to find words- and her voice.

Robin, meanwhile, roughly pushed off his best friend's arm, scowling at him, "We _all_ will have her back!" He snapped, tone snippy.

"Uh, t-thanks, Kid Flash." NightFall had found her voice, or some semblance of it at least.

Kid Flash beamed as he smiled mischievously at Robin, which could only mean disaster, "Feel free to call me the _man of your dreams_ , babe!"

And there was another one!

NightFall was _really_ thrown through the loop this time. Her experience with flirting was limited if you couldn't tell- and she _always_ found herself a blushing, clammed up mess whenever someone flirted with her.

As she attempted to process what was just said to her, Robin looked ready to murder the speedster and Aqualad just looked on with a shake of his head.

Nightlight scowled as she reached forward and grabbed the poor girl's arm, dragging her away from the two boys and towards the exit, "You two are _ridiculous_. Let's just get on with it before the League comes back!"

Aqualad followed the two girl's while Kid Flash and Robin hung back slightly. The speedster couldn't help but laugh at his friend's expression, but the smile was quickly removed from his face when the Boy Wonder punched him _hard_ in the shoulder.

The ginger let out a quiet whimper, and Robin smiled victoriously to himself before chasing after the other three sidekicks, Kid Flash scowling at his back.

" _Dick_."

* * *

**WASHINGTON D.C**

When it came to things that terrified her, the list was short for NightFall.

There was clowns, Medusa, and squirrels, and that was just about it.

But now, now she had to add 'riding on the back of a motorcycle with Robin' to the list.

With the way the Boy Wonder bobbed and weaved through traffic, NightFall felt as though she was going to fall off at every turn and face a painful death by _splatting_ on the cement. It wasn't a pleasant thought, and it made her cling even tighter to Robin's torso.

The plus side was, she finally got to feel his biceps. So that was a good thing, right?

Robin had been the first to offer her to ride with him.

Well, actually, that wasn't true. Kid Flash had been the first, but he offered her his _arms_ to ride in and promised he _wouldn't ever drop a girl as beautiful as her_. Looking back now, maybe the speedster would've been the lesser of two evils?

NightFall cried out as Robin suddenly took a sharp turn, following the directions on his GPS- Cadmus was only another mile away. He couldn't help but grin under his helmet, however, as the waterbender's grip on his torso tightened, her own head pressed up against his shoulder as much as her helmet would allow her to.

Eventually- after what felt like an eternity to the poor waterbender- the rag tag team of sidekicks made it to their destination: Cadmus.

The building was still on fire, flames flickering in various windows as smoke rose up from within. Various firetrucks and firemen were stationed outside the burning building, water aimed at the flaming embers as they attempted to control the scene.

NightFall immediately shot off the bike, nearly falling over in the process as she stumbled to her feet. She pulled off her helmet and tossed it to the ground, shaking her head as Robin appeared at her side, "Who taught you to _drive_?"

"Batman."

_Yeah, guess that made sense…_

Nightlight landed beside the duo and Aqualad parked next to Robin's bike as she opened her mouth, "Are you okay, NightFall?"

"I am _never_ riding with Robin _ever_ again."

"Told you you'd be better off in my arms, babe!" Kid Flash skidded to a halt besides NightFall, tossing a casual arm over her shoulder as he bit into a hot dog.

Robin scowled as NightFall blushed, and he whacked the speedster's arm, knocking the hot dog to the ground. Kid Flash blinked and frowned as he looked from his best friend to his lost meal, "Hey!"

"Did you _have_ to _stop_ for food on your way over here?"

Kid Flash shrugged, "I was hungry."

NightFall stared between the two, the speedster's arm still wrapped around her shoulder. She wasn't sure what to say- or what to do- as the two friends bickered, Aqualad and Nightlight both sporting unamused looks.

All of a sudden, an explosion rocked the small vicinity, the shockwave rippling across the earth. Two scientists were launched from their positions on the second floor, the explosion sending them careening towards the hard ground below.

NightFall stepped forward, Kid Flash's arm falling as she gaped, "We have to save them!"

"Way ahead of you, babe!" He winked at the girl, another flush dusting her cheeks before he sped off. He raced up the side of the building and caught the two scientists, using his momentum to toss them back up onto a ledge. Unfortunately, gravity caught up with the speedster and Kid Flash lost his momentum, sliding down the solid wall until he was able to catch himself on a lower ledge.

"So smooth." Robin commented under his breath, a snort escaping his lips.

"Is that a regular occurrence?"

Nightlight nodded as she glanced at the other girl, "Unfortunately, yes."

Aqualad shook his head, a frown on his lips, "He should not have run off ahead, we need a pla-" The Atlantean cut himself off as he turned his head to the side, mentally counting the number of bodies still with him.

There were two.

They lost one.

"And there goes Robin." Nightlight deadpanned, and NightFall watched as Robin launched himself up and onto a firetruck, running up its ladder as his cackled echoed in the air. He jumped up and launched a grappled, swinging himself over to the ledge Kid Flash was dangling from.

"Uh, is that a regular occurrence, too?"

There was an audible sigh as Nightlight shook her head, "Yes."

NightFall glanced back over just in time to see a flicker of Robin's cape as he disappeared inside the burning building, Kid Flash already gone from view. Aqualad stared after the other two boys, a frown seemingly permanently etched into his features.

_This was off to a great start!_

Nightlight floated lightly into the air and turned towards the Atlantean, "We should probably follow them and make sure they're not in trouble." At the confirmation nod from Aqualad, the pink-eyed girl took off, her pink aura surrounding her.

Aqualad made eye contact with NightFall before together the two ran off and towards the firetruck. The Atlantean pulled out his water bearers, turning towards the shocked firemen before stating, "I need to borrow that."

He pointed his chosen weapons at the water hose in the firemen's hands, and a brilliant blue glow illuminated the tattoos on his arms as the water from the hose flowed towards him. It circled his feet before creating a platform, and Aqualad used the water to propel himself upwards.

NightFall frowned as she glanced up at the Atlantean, watching him disappear into the same window Robin had gone into. She wasn't sure how she was going to be getting up there seeing as Aqualad's method of transport was one she hadn't tried before, but there was a first time for everyting.

_Practice makes perfect, right?_

"Need a hand?" The waterbender jumped slightly before she turned towards the source of the voice. Nightlight, brightly illuminated by pink, floated about a foot away from herself. Two scientists- the same ones who Kid Flash tried to save- ran passed NightFall and towards the firemen, who were waiting with paramedics to ensure the two were okay.

"I- I think I got it."

Nightlight looked slightly skeptical at the other girl's reply, but nodded regardless. It was obvious the waterbender was trying to prove herself- either to them or herself the pink-eyed girl wasn't quite sure- but she wasn't going to stand in the way of that. She was, however, going to be here for back up shall NightFall find herself needing it.

Having expected Nightlight to fly herself where the others had gone, NightFall was caught off guard when the girl didn't move much. She floated up a few feet, but kept her gaze on the waterbender.

Feeling slightly pressured, NightFall took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly. Releasing her breath, she turned towards the firemen, "I'm sorry," She shrugged, trying her best to seem as apologetic as possible, "but I also need to borrow that!"

With a wave of her hand, more water flowed out of the hose. Instead of creating a platform of water like Aqualad did, NightFall lifted her hand into the air and moved it into a small circle, and the water moved on her command to wrap tightly around her body. She thrust her hand upwards and immediately she shot up, the water propelling her into the air.

Nightlight watched the other girl go upwards before she flew upwards herself. NightFall landed on the ledge, wobbling slightly as she regained her footage. She turned, doing her best to ignore the height before she released the water from her control and it fell to the ground with a splash.

When NightFall entered the room, her presence was barely acknowledged. Robin was typing away on a computer, the light illuminating his face. Aqualad was in one corner of the room, flipping through some files pinned to a board while Kid Flash- who had somehow found a granola bar during his search- was flipping through a filing cabinet. Nightlight was the last to enter the room, and when she did, a bright pink orb flickered in her palm, lighting the dark room up.

"Thanks for the help, _guys_." Nightlight commented snidely.

Robin barely looked up from the computer screen, a smirk on his face, "You guys handled it. Besides, we're here to investigate! Poetic justice, remember?"

"Aren't we also here as a _team_ though?" NightFall tossed out, crossing her arms and Robin simply shrugged.

Aqualad rolled his eyes before stepping out of the room, entering a dark hallway. NightFall sighed before turning to rummage through a desk drawer. Nothing exciting was in it- just your typical office supplies.

There was a gentle _ding_ and NightFall perked up, Robin glancing up from his hacking. She shut the desk drawer, cringing slightly as it shut harder than she anticipated, the _bang_ echoing in the small room. Nightlight flashed her a look, and the waterbender offered an apologetic smile.

The four left in the room quickly exited it, tracking down their Atlantean friend who stood in the hallway, mouth slightly agape, "There was something in the…"

"Elevators should be shut down," Kid Flash commented, looking confused momentarily as Robin pushed past him with a frown.

"Wait a minute, this is wrong." He tapped his forearm and his holographic computer appeared, showing scans and schematics of the elevator. NightFall tried to catch a glimpse of what he was looking at, but the Boy Wonder was scrolling a bit too fast through the elevator data for her to keep up, "Thought so," He spoke up after a few seconds of silence, "This is a high speed express elevator. It doesn't belong in a two-story building."

"Neither does what I saw," Aqualad added grimly. Robin stepped to the side as he stepped forward, jamming his hands into the tiny gap between the elevator doors. His muscles tensed, and with a strained groan, the elevator doors were pried open, revealing a pit of darkness.

The five of them peaked over the ledge and NightFall felt her heart rate pick up as her eyes widened. Adrenaline began to course through her veins and she took a subconscious step back, bumping into Kid Flash's chest. He offered her a reassuring smile when she looked back at him, but it did nothing to ease her racing heart.

Robin took a step back, pulling out his grapple and shooting a hook into the roof of the elevator, "And _that_ ' _s_ why they need an express elevator."

Without a second thought or any signs of hesitation, Robin leapt over the edge and plummeted down into the darkness and NightFall felt her heart lurch at the sight. Aqualad was the next to disappear into the pit of darkness, leaping forward gracefully and grabbing onto the rope.

As Aqualad disappeared from sight, Nightlight took that as her cue to follow suit. Instead of using the rope, however, she hovered into the elevator shaft, her pink aura casting an eerie glow along the dark walls, before she slowly began to descend, her pink glow following her.

Blood pounded in her ears as Kid Flash nudged NightFall forward gently. She shook her head and stepped back, any and all confidence about their mission she once felt being replaced by fear. She had _never_ done anything like this before. And frankly, she wasn't really sure she wanted to.

"Uh, after you!" The waterbender tried, twirling a lock of her hair nervously.

Kid Flash shook his head, "I'm not leaving you behind, Nighty, besides, you'll be fine!"

It wasn't much of a confidence booster if the girl was honest with herself, but this is what she got for _insisting_ she tag along on their rag tag adventure. This was what she wanted- to do hero things. And hero things consisted of plummeting into unknown, pitch black pits, right?

 _This was going to be the death of her_.

Pushing back any and all thoughts of her just jumping to her doom right then and there, NightFall sucked in a deep breath before leaping into the darkness and grabbing ahold of the rope. Kid Flash followed her, calling down to the girl, "I'm right behind you!"

His words fell on deaf ears, however, as the fear in her stomach changed to butterflies and excitement, the feeling being akin to riding on a roller coaster. NightFall's hair whipped around her head, smacking her in the face here and there and the girl suddenly regretted not having her hair in a ponytail.

Or bringing a hair tie so she could tie her hair back.

She made a mental note to start carrying one on her wrist at all times.

The bright white lights that traced the elevator wall rushed past the girl's vision, the colors blurring together as she slid further and further down the rope. She took a chance, glancing downwards to see how much farther she had to go before spotting Nightlight's pink glow.

NightFall clenched her hands together, slowing her descent as Robin called up, "I'm at the end of my rope!"

The rope began to swing, NightFall clinging to it even more, as she watched the Boy Wonder swing from the rope to a ledge. He managed to balance himself before glancing up and waving everyone else down.

Aqualad landed on the ledge besides Robin and reached up to help NightFall as she leapt over. Kid Flash followed after, Nightlight helping him to balance as he stumbled slightly.

"Bypassing securing and… go." Robin nodded Aqualad's way, and the Atlantean turned and pried the doors apart, and the four of them stepped into the deserted hallway, a dim, eerie red flow illuminating the metallic walls.

"Welcome to project Cadmus," Robin murmured, his voice echoing quietly.

NightFall glanced around with her mouth slightly agape, realization dawning on her that yeah, they were _definitely_ in over their heads. They had come here for a simple fire, but there was something much, _much_ bigger going on than a simple genetics lab.

Simple genetics labs didn't have _dozens_ of sublevels hidden from the public.

Not wanting to stand still any longer, Kid Flash slipped his goggles onto his face and raced off ahead, ignoring Aqualad's protest.

The ground beneath them began to shake, catching NightFall off guard as her eyes went wide. The four sidekicks took off in a sprint in the direction Kid Flash had headed, just in time to see the speedster go skidding across the floor as huge, mammoth sized legs came down.

Nightlight quickly darted towards Kid Flash, pushing him roughly to the side where he rolled into the wall. NightFall wanted to warn the other girl to look out as the mammoth creatures _stomped_ her way, but the pink-eyed girl merely went intangible, crossing her arms in annoyance as the herd stormed past- _and_ through- her.

"That was close," Kid Flash muttered, rubbing the back of his head. He sheepishly looked at Nightlight, who not only looked rather irked, but also unfazed at the fact _giant ass creatures_ just stomped _through_ her.

"You think?"

Aqualad eyed the creatures as they disappeared down the hall, seafoam eyes hazy, "No, nothing odd going on here."

* * *

They trekked further and deeper into the bowels of Cadmus, Robin guiding their way. They had taken off in the opposite direction that the ones the giant creatures had gone in, and eventually they came to a large metal door. Robin immediately pulled up his holo-glove, hacking into the door with ease. It slid open with a soft hiss, and NightFall's eyes widened as the interior was revealed.

A long hall was stretched out in front of the five, but that wasn't the weird part. The walls were lined with glass containers, each one sparking and flickering with electricity from the creatures contained within them.

"I'm officially whelmed," Robin breathed out, the first of them to step into the room. NightFall took a cautious step after him, pushing back her want to question Robin's word choice.

"What are these things?" The waterbender asked as she pressed a hand up against one of the containers, surprised at how cool it was.

"Whatever they are, they look like they're generating their own electricity!" Nightlight commented.

"This must be how they hid this massive underground facility from the world," Kid Flash joined the conversation, sharing a concerned look with Nightlight, "the real Cadmus isn't even on the grid!"

NightFall shook her head and a somber feeling settling in the pit of her stomach, "So, these… _things_ are bred to generate power for this place?"

"Of course!" Aqualad spoke up, realization washing over him, "Even the name is a clue. The Cadmus of myth created a new race by sowing dragon's teeth into the Earth!"

Nightlight groaned and facepalmed, muttering to herself, "How did _I_ miss _that_?"

NightFall looked confused and Kid Flash cleared things up for her, "Greek lore nerd."

" _Hey_!"

"And this Cadmus creates new life too," Robin stepped over to the console located in the center of the hall, removing a cable from his glove and plugging it in, "Let's find out why."

NightFall wrapped her arms around herself as she gazed up at the seemingly endless columns of electrical creatures. At the time she was dead _set_ on coming with the four sidekicks on this little adventure, but at that time, she thought they were facing a simple fire.

Not a genetics lab gone rogue.

Despite arguing the contrary, she honestly wasn't sure if she was ready for this. It was all _incredibly_ overwhelming.

"They call them genomorphs," Robin read aloud, voice breaking the waterbender from her thoughts. They all flocked towards the Boy Wonder, crowding around him as he began to read off what he had found, "Whoa, check out the stats on these things. Super strength, razor claws, telepathy- they're living weapons!"

"They're generating an army," Kid Flash surmised, "but for who?"

"There's something else," Robin pointed out, hurriedly typing on his screen, "Project KR. _Ugh_! The file's triple-encrypted, I can't-"

"Don't move!" A new voice bellowed, and NightFall tensed as the others turned, bodies ready for the attack as a man ran into the room. Long-tailed and clawed creatures- who the waterbender suspected to be the genomorphs Robin had mentioned- followed him in. The masked man stood, glaring down the small group before his eyes grew wide, "Robin… Aqualad… Kid Flash… Nightlight? And…"

"At least he got your name right," Robin jested as he continued to hack, and Kid Flash tossed him an annoyed frown, "but it seems NightFall's still rather unknown."

Said girl crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, hissing, "Not _all_ of us have _years_ of superhero-ing under out belts!"

Robin chuckled to himself but said no more as Aqualad stepped forward, "I know you." His brows furrowed, "You're Guardian. A hero."

"I do my best," Guardian replied with a nod, but Kid Flash's eyes narrowed.

"Then what are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm the head of security, you're trespassing," Guardian responded easily, and the genomorphs at his side snarled and snapped their teeth. NightFall's heart began to pound once more as unease began to fill her being.

Nightlight scowled as she floated up a foot, "I don't think the _League_ is going to approve of you _breeding_ weapons down here!"

The atmosphere darkened slightly as Guardian frowned, confusion evident on his face, "What are you…" The small genomorph perched upon the older 'hero's' shoulder shifted, its horns glowing a soft red, and Guardian placed a hand to his forehead, "My head…" His eyes suddenly shot open, pupils wide and face suddenly angered as he pointed a finger at the group of sidekicks, snarling, "Get them! Take them down, _hard_! No mercy!"

NightFall squeaked and took a step back, the genomorphs snarling as they leapt forward. Robin reacted the fastest, flipping forwards and throwing down a smoke screen. It erupted and the genomorphs were hidden from view temporarily, their snarls and growls the only sign they were still there.

A shadow lunged her way, and NightFall dove to the side as a genomorph sailed over her. It landed on the ground, sliding a few feet before digging its claws into the ground to stop itself. The waterbender whipped the water out of her water pouch as the genomorph turned back on her.

She flicked her hand the genomorph's way and a water whip sailed towards the creature, knocking it to the side. Nightlight flew above the girl, launching pink energy bursts as Aqualad faced Guardian. Kid Flash raced up a wall, tackling a genomorph that was creeping NightFall's to the side and Robin was no longer in sight.

A genomorph charged towards Aqualad, who was laying on the ground after being tossed by Guardian, and NightFall collected her water before launching it again. It shot through the air and curled around the leg of the genomorph just as it leapt at the Atlantean.

NightFall jerked her arm back, pulling the genomorph away. It crashed to the ground, Aqualad jutting his foot out to knock the creature out. He nodded his thanks to the young brunette, and she responded with a quick nod of her own.

Aqualad suddenly opened his mouth, seafoam eyes wide as he called out, "NightFall! Behind you!"

The waterbender whirled around as a genomorph aimed to tackle her. Before she had a chance to react or do anything, a pink bubble appeared around her, and the genomorph bounced off of the shield.

NightFall glanced up through the pink shield to see Nightlight floating above her, arm extended towards the shield, "Uh, thanks?" She called out to the other girl.

The pink eyed girl nodded in response and NightFall cried out as the bubble- with her in it- was suddenly jerked. Her blue eyes widened as she suddenly found herself floating, stuck in the pink bubble as Nightlight flew them to safety.

NightFall frowned as they flew over the battle, crossing her arms and pouting slightly. She thought she had been fairing pretty well in the battle and wanted to continue fighting, but now she was being carried like a child in a giant pink bubble.

_You're doing great, NightFall!_

A genomorph bounced off the side of the bubble, the sudden noise startling the waterbender. A small crack formed on the bubble, tiny cracks splintering off it in all directions and NightFall eyed it wearily, hoping the bubble wouldn't burst so she didn't fall.

Nightlight landed next to Kid Flash, who looked disgruntled as he glared at Robin, who was hacking into the elevator. She dropped her hand as her pink glow faded, the bubble surrounding NightFall dissipating.

NightFall propped her hands on her hips as the elevator door slid open with a hiss, Robin being the first to dart in. She turned towards Nightlight, "A warning next time would be nice."

Nightlight shrugged and entered the elevator alongside Kid Flash, NightFall trailing behind them, "Sorry, we needed to get out of there."

"Aqualad!" Robin called out, not giving NightFall a chance to respond to the girl. She turned her head, watching as the Atlantean rounded a corner, entering a straightaway and making a beeline towards the elevator with a handful of genomorphs on his tail.

Aqualad launched himself towards the elevator and when he landed inside, Robin slammed his fist into a button on the elevator's panel, the doors sliding shut. The metal door vibrated as the genomorphs slammed into the closed doors, and NightFall flinched back slightly.

She leaned back, head resting against the cool wall of the elevator. The adrenaline in her system began to slowly dissipate, and it was replaced with a feeling of anxiousness and worry.

"Wait, we're going down?" NightFall suddenly spoke up, blue eyes widening as she stared at the numbers above the door increased.

Kid Flash glanced up at the numbers before whirling on his best friend, " _Dude_ , out is _up_!"

"Excuse me?" Robin scowled, crossing his arms and standing his ground, "Project Kr is _down_ , sublevel fifty-two. We _need_ to check it out!"

" _We_ need to, or _you_ need to?" Nightlight questioned harshly, arms crossed and Robin looked down.

"This is getting out of control," Aqualad sighed, exasperated, "Perhaps… perhaps we should contact the League."

NightFall's stomach flopped at the mention of the League- who her _dad_ was a member of. He'd have her head for disobeying orders and not saying put, nonetheless putting herself in so much danger. That was the last thing she wanted… she knew it was inevitable, but she wasn't exactly ready to face him right now…

Robin looked like he wanted to say something more when the elevator chimed, the number fifty-two gazing back at them from above the door, challenging and taunting them as the doors slide open. Robin quickly moved and darted out of the elevator, being the first to rush ahead.

Aqualad shook his head and Kid Flash glanced up at him, "We are already here?"

"Cause that makes things better," Nightlight retorted as she flew past the speedster. She kept herself floating in the air as her pink eyes took in the surrounding area, nose crinkling in disgust. It looked like intestines. She was _not_ going to touch anything down here.

NightFall was the last one to exit the elevator, Aqualad asking the girl if she was okay. She nodded in response, telling him that she was fine, and the two were off the catch up with the others. They found Robin and Kid Flash crouched behind some barrels, Nightlight nowhere in sight, and a fork in the road standing ahead of them.

"Okay, Rob," Kid Flash whispered, "which way?"

"Yeah, bizarre looking hallway number one," He gestured towards the left, "or bizarre looking hallway number two." He gestured to the right.

"My vote is _neither_ ," Nightlight spoke, and NightFall jumped, eyes wide as she glanced around. The other girl still wasn't in sight, but she had _definitely_ heard her voice.

The speedster noticed the waterbender's confusion and spoke, "She's invisible."

 _That cleared up a lot of things_ …

"Oh."

"Halt!"

A strong voice commanded, and NightFall paled at the thought Guardian and his genomorph companions had caught up to them. When she glanced over, she saw a humanoid figure standing in the shadows, one that was smaller than Guardian's own figure, but when it stepped into the light, she realized how humanoid it _wasn't_.

The figure had pale grey skin coupled with bright red eyes, and vaguely resembled a genomorph. Two large horns protruded from its forehead, its ears pointed. If the figures appearance wasn't weird enough, what made it weirder was the fact it was wearing a _lab coat_ and _formal clothes_.

Making the decision for the small team of sidekicks, the figure raised its hand up, its horns glowing a bright red, and a group of barrels rose upwards. The barrels shot forward when the figure extended its hand, and Nightlight revealed herself.

A pink dome appeared around the five, deflecting the barrels as they exploded upon contact. She dropped the shield and they raced off, darting down bizarre hallway number two since the figure made the first hallway not an option.

More explosions rang out behind them, but NightFall didn't dare look behind her as she ran alongside Aqualad. Kid Flash had used his superspeed to pull ahead of the group, and when they rounded a corner there was a large door, the speedster having propped it open with a metallic barrel.

"Hurry!" He waved at them.

NightFall pushed herself, heart racing and adrenaline once again coursing through her veins. She darted through the small opening after Robin, with Nightlight and Aqualad entering behind her. A group of genomorphs had appeared behind them at some point in time, but they crashed into the closed door once Aqualad kicked away the cannister that had propped it open.

Robin plugged into the door's mainframe, fingers flying across his holographic keyboard. He glanced up once his work was complete, masked eyes setting on Aqualad, "I disabled the door, we're safe."

"We're _trapped_." Aqualad corrected and Robin shrugged.

NightFall doubled over and panted slightly, her hands on her knees. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and her hair hung limply around her face, her headband barely holding back her messy bangs now. She pulled her headband out as Robin walked towards her, doing her best to fix her disheveled locks.

"You alright, NightFall?"

"I've been better," She shrugged, dropping her hands once her headband was back in place.

Robin sighed, "You know you could've stayed behind if you felt you weren't ready."

"It's a bit late for that now, isn't it?"

"Uh, guys," Kid Flash's voice interrupted the two's short conversation, directing their attention towards the speedster, "You should see this."

He pressed his finger down on a button on a control panel and a dull glow began to glow brighter and brighter until the pod before them was fully basked in the light. NightFall felt the blood drain from her face, Robin going stiff beside her as Kid Flash and Nightlight looked on in shock.

_Superman._

Inside the tube was a man, but he wasn't an ordinary man. He _identically_ resembled Superman, the only difference being the man in front of them was obviously younger. He was clothed in a bright white body suit, Superman's defining red symbol plastered across his chest.

"Big K, little r," Kid Flash realized, turning towards the others, "the atomic symbol for Krypton!"

"So Project Kr is… _Superman_?" NightFall tried to surmise, but the thought didn't sit well with her.

"Or Superman's clone." Nightlight added and NightFall glanced at her.

"Robin," Aqualad shook his head and glanced at the young hacker, "hack."

"Huh? Oh, right, right."

Robin stepped up towards the console after shaking his shock away. He removed a cord from his gauntlet, plugging it into the computer. Multiple Robin faces appeared on the screen as he hacked into the computer, bypassing the firewalls and breaking into the files. NightFall found her gaze being pulled back to the pod, disbelief still evident on her face.

"Weapon designation: Superboy, a clone force grown in… _sixteen_ _weeks_? From DNA acquired from Superman…"

NightFall glanced back as Aqualad's face hardened, " _Stolen_ from Superman."

"There's no way the big guy knows _anything_ about this," Kid Flash agreed.

"Does it say how…" NightFall spoke up, voice quiet and the others glanced her way, "how they got his DNA?"

Robin diverted his gaze back to the files he was scrolling through, looking up a few seconds later with a shake of his head, "No, it doesn't say anything about how they got Superman's DNA, but it does say the solar suit he's wearing allows him to absorb yellow sun radiation twenty-four seven."

NightFall nodded and Nightlight spoke up, looking at the tiny genomorphs sitting within the clone's pod, "And what about these little guys? They look like the one Guardian had…"

"Genomorph gnomes, telepathic, force-feeding him an education."

"And we can guess what else," Kid Flash muttered darkly.

"They're turning Superman's… _son_ into a slave of sorts…" NightFall murmured, blue eyes gazing over the clone's sleeping face, "and no one but us knows."

" _Now_ we contact the League," Aqualad's voice was firm as he tapped the Atlantean symbol on his build, a soft glow arising from it. There was a brief pause, and Robin shook his head as NightFall pulled the emergency communicator from her ear, having gotten nothing but static from it.

"No signal."

"We in too deep… literally," Kid Flash commented dryly with a frown.

NightFall, after placing her communicator back in her belt, wrapped her arms around herself. The day had taken a turn for the worse. It was supposed to be a simple fire… a simple in and out mission, but now they were trapped.

With Superman's clone nonetheless.

Worry and panic bubbled up within her stomach, and the waterbender clenched her eyes shut and sucked in a deep breath to calm her nerves. Panicking now wasn't going to get her anywhere…

_Just keep it cool, NightFall…_

"Are we…" Four eyes flickered towards NightFall, who had broken the silence, "are we just going to leave him like this?"

Something about this whole thing just didn't sit right with her- and it wasn't the fact they found Superman's clone. She didn't like the idea of leaving him here… a powerful weapon in the hands of _whoever_ ran Cadmus.

That wasn't a good thing.

And apparently she wasn't the only one with that sentiment.

"This is wrong," Kid Flash agreed, and turned towards Aqualad, "We can't leave him like this."

Aqualad's seafoam eyes turned thoughtful, and his gaze flickered to the ground until he glanced back up, "Set him free, do it." He ordered Robin.

The Boy Wonder made a move to open the pod, but Nightlight called out to him, "Wait!" All eyes turned towards her, "I'm not comfortable with this either, but what if he's not friendly?"

She raised a valid point, NightFall thought, but they still couldn't leave him?

"Does he not deserve his own life to live, Nightlight?" Aqualad questioned.

"Yeah, it's not right to keep him trapped like this. We can take him to Superman!"

The pink eyed girl frowned, looking at the clone until she glanced back at the others, "I know but," She sighed, still not totally convinced. It wasn't that she wanted to do nothing, but they also needed to think things through. So far on their journey through Cadmus, everything they've come across had wanted to injure or kill them.

So would this clone be any different?

"Okay," Nightlight relented, floating a few feet back from the pod.

Robin nodded and began to fulfil Aqualad's earlier order, tapping away at some keys before sliding his fingers downwards. The glass pod hissed as smoke rolled off the smooth edges and the glass doors began to slowly descend downwards, removing Superboy from his confines.

NightFall could hear her heart hammering in her ears as they all stood in anticipation, waiting to see what would happen. The horns on the genomorphs situated inside the glass pod began to glow softly, but the boy's eyes remained shut.

For a few seconds, nothing happened, but then Superboy's fingers flexed and curled, the sounds of knuckles cracking echoing in the cavernous space and sending chills down NightFall's spine. Blue eyes snapped open, wild and full of unknown anger. Giving no one time to react, the clone flew forward, tackling Aqualad to the ground and pounding his fists into him.

Robin, Nightlight, and Kid Flash immediately ran towards Superboy, latching onto the clone in an effort to pull him off of the Atlantean. NightFall wanted to help, but at the sudden attack she found herself petrified and frozen, mind struggling to figure out what she should do.

Kid Flash was knocked back where he went crashing through a glass case, the shards raining down upon him. Nightlight's eyes widened as she whirled around, dropping her grip on Superboy and crying out, "Kid!"

"Wait, Nightlight!" Robin tried, still struggling to hold onto the clone, who was still pummeling Aqualad. Nightlight ignored the Boy Wonder, flying over to the speedster's side to check on him.

Robin clenched his teeth and NightFall suddenly found herself snapping out of it, albeit momentarily. She darted forward and latched herself onto Superboy's back, holding onto dear life as he thrashed about.

"On my mark," NightFall glanced over at Robin, who was also still clingy to Superboy, but he held a small pellet in one hand, "Move!" She nodded her head and the hacker slammed the small pellet just below the clone's mouth, and Robin grabbed the girl's arm before pulling her off Superboy's back as the two jumped to the side.

Superboy backed away, smoke billowing out from the pellet and causing him to hack and cough. Aqualad leapt up from the ground, using the distraction as an opportunity to deliver a swift kick to the clone's firm chest and knocking him to the side.

Robin pulled out a taser as the smoke dissipated and Superboy righted himself. He extended the electrical wires towards the clone, but Superboy responded faster by reaching over and grabbing and unsuspecting Nightlight by her cape, who had been previously distracted by the downed Kid Flash.

She yelped as she was suddenly yanked, but before she could make a move to escape Superboy's grasp, Robin's electrical wires latched onto her chest and she was suddenly electrocuted.

Robin made haste to turn off the taser, but it was too late as Nightlight's body slumped in Superboy's grip. He tossed her body to the side, the force yanking the taser from Robin's grasp as she went sailing through the air, collapsing limply in a heap next to Kid Flash.

And then there was three.

NightFall could feel panic bubbling upon within her once more as she stepped back from the seething Superboy, Robin having placed himself between her and the clone. _Half_ of the sidekicks she looked up to were down for the count, leaving just her, Aqualad, and Robin to deal with this mess they made.

It was getting harder and harder for her to _not_ breakdown right then and there.

Superboy advanced towards them, Robin whipping out a few birdarangs before releasing them. They sailed through the air where they collided with the clone's chest, but they bounced harmlessly off of him before clanging uselessly to the ground.

 _"_ _Enough_!" Superboy was suddenly sent flying, Aqualad glaring hard at him after hitting the clone with one of his water hammers, "We are _trying_ to help you!"

The glass pod that once housed the clone exploded as Superboy leapt through it, and Robin tackled NightFall out of the way as Superboy sailed over their heads. He collided roughly with Aqualad, the two exchanging heavy blows before the clone gained the upper hand. Superboy roughly slammed Aqualad into the ceiling, causing the room to shake as rocks rained down, before slamming the Atlantean into the ground below, landing on his chest and delivering a swift blow to the dark-skinned teens face.

He was down for the count.

Robin helped NightFall up from the ground, once again positioning himself in front of the girl as Superboy turned on them. The clone advanced and just as he lunged at the two, the Boy Wonder dropped another smoke pellet before yelling, "Split!"

The two each dove towards the sides, going in opposite directions as smoke shrouded the area in cover. NightFall waved her hand in front of her face in order to clear some of the smoke, all the while rubbing her head as well. In the cover of the smoke, she couldn't exactly see where she was going, so she managed to bang her head against the metal base of the center console.

NightFall staggered to her feet, vision slightly blurry as her head swirled, the part of her head she hit throbbing. The room had gone silent, and the waterbender felt unease as she glanced around. The smoke was slowly dispersing and when it did, her blue eyes widened.

Superboy had Robin by the cape, the Boy Wonder struggling to unclasp it so he could make his escape. He had almost gotten the cape off when the clone suddenly slammed him into the ground, the force causing the breath to leave Robin's system.

Whilst struggling to regain his breath, Superboy pressed his foot against Robin's torso, not hard enough to break anything, but hard enough to cause not only some nasty bruising, but also prevent him from catching his breath.

Eventually Robin stopped struggling, and NightFall's breath hitched as she realized she was alone.

 _All_ of the sidekicks she looked up to had been knocked out swiftly by a single foe.

And she stood no chance against him.

Fear began to overwhelm her senses, and any and all advice her dad had once given her in regards to keeping her emotions in check left her body. Her emotions ran rampant, the feeling of loneliness filling every fiber of her being as Superboy stalked towards her.

With every step he took toward her, she tried to take twice as many steps backwards, but it didn't do much good as her back collided with the solid, rocky wall. There was no one to save her- or her newfound friends- now.

They were going to die down here, and the League would never know.

Superboy had gotten within arm's reach of the waterbender now, and she did her best to snarl at him through tear stained cheeks, " _Stay back_!" She lashed out with the remaining water in her water pouch, the water shifting into ice spikes. They bounced off his muscular chest like they were nothing, shattering upon impact and falling to the ground.

Suddenly Superboy's arm shot out, his large hand curling around her neck. NightFall immediately began to thrash and panic in his grip, oxygen leaving her system with every pained breath, but no more entering as her airways were blocked.

He stared down at her struggling form with emotionless blue eyes, feeling nothing as she clawed at his fingers, "Please," She breathed out, voice soft and strained. She tried to speak more words, but found none would come out as her final breaths left her system.

NightFall's mind began to feel numb as darkness crept up in the corners of her vision. As she stared pleadingly at Superboy, all she could see in his cold gaze was the disappointed face of her father.

Her struggling began to lessen, and eventually her hands dropped limply to her side, all ability to hold them up leaving as the lack of oxygen caused her body to become unresponsive. NightFall's eyes rolled into the back of her head as her eyelids slowly slipped shut, the disappointed gaze of her father melting into the unforgiving and cold face of Superboy.

The face that would forever haunt her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is up and running ya'll~
> 
> Remember to let me know what you guys think and thanks for the support so far!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> I had friends tell me I should try and post on AO3, so here I am~! This work is up on other sites (Wattpad, quotev, and FFnet lmao) but I figured I'd give AO3 a try as well!
> 
> Feel free to tell me ya'lls thoughts! I love hearing from people.


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